Ninja 250 build

[yama.dan]

Neighbor picked up an abused-running-fugly Ninja 250 with title for cheap. She is looking to build a dependable daily commuter or track day bike. Any tips, website groups, parts sources, Etal... out there? Need fairing and body panels, if anyone has a parts bike. TIA yama.mad.dan

[Godffery]

 I have some parts for that. If you can get me a list, I'll see what I have. OR; come out and just buy the hole box and get more bang for your buck.  ;)

Godffery’s Garage godfferysgarage.com
8010 Gateway Drive,
Burlington WI. 53105
Jstep...@wi.rr.com 262-210-9269

[yama.dan]

Prolly interested in whole box, I do collect boxes! Got photos? Please email me! Thanks man

[Moped Graham]

I've brought a couple of them back to life over the years, nice little bikes.  I found the best info on ninjette.org but the forum scene for these is not very good. mostly people trying to figure out how to best hack up their wiring harness to add LEDs and put louder exhausts on them. 

If it runs, thats great, still might be worth going through the carbs.  The pilot jets in them are so impossibly tiny they are really fussy. Even if they sit for just a few weeks they can be really really crabby to start.  If its a trackday/occasional bike  its probably a really good idea to start it up every week or two and let it warm all the way up, rev it up a few times to blow out the turds.  You probably know the trick about putting the airbox rubber boots in boiling water before installing them, but if you don't do that you'll never get them in.  If you do it the right way they just pop right in. 

You can go up a size on pilots, and they pick up a little torque in the low-mid and generally run healthier. I cant remember sizes it has been awhile since i messed with one. 

You can get a yamaha raptor petcock for like 10 bucks on ebay to replace the stupid vacuum one, if its a track bike its one less thing to go wrong. 

Dont mess with the airbox, they only loose torque- which they don't exactly have any to spare- and get louder. 

The exhaust also pretty much just makes it louder.  The post 08 have an unequal length header that scavenges one cylinder, its like a half-working header, so much so that the carbs are jetted different right/left...  you might pick up some power from going to the late model header, slip on, and re-tuning the carbs but holy cow its hard to believe its worth it. 

uh what else, if you're stuck with the 16" wheels the maxis scooter tire is pretty rad and cheap.  You don't get many good tire choices with those lil' wheels. 

make sure you don't put the body panel screw through the gas tank.  3/3 ninjas i've owned has had at least one hole punched in the gas tank.

if you run them at 10,000 + rpm for an extended period of time they will eat oil.  LIke, a lot.  Its not a big deal just gotta check and fill it up.  I had one for a whole summer down in Austin that i ran commuting on the highway, it would go through about a quart every 1000 miles if i was WOT going 80+ 

Yeah thats about it, they are awesome bikes once you learn to stop worrying and love the bomb.  12k all day long for thousands of miles and they don't miss a beat.   When i lived in texas i was buying them with dirty carbs for 300 bucks all day long.  Wish i had kept one because they are $$$ up here and much scarcer. 

Good luck

Graham